Welcome to the Creator FAQ! This is a space where creators of all kinds can find information they need to develop TRPG materials, fan works, and other content.

Are you interested in publishing your own TRPG materials? Use the System Reference Document (SRD) to get started.

The System Reference Document (SRD) is the main resource you should use if you intend to publish your own TRPG materials.

The purpose of the SRD is to provide a foundation of Dungeons & Dragons content on which any creator can build their products. It allows publishers and creators to reference and use the base game rules of Dungeons & Dragons in their products without the need to pay a licensing fee to Wizards of the Coast.

You can access the System Reference Document using the link above.

Anything you create using SRD 5.2.1 or SRD 5.1 is yours! Because both SRDs are provided to you under Creative Commons, they're open source and free--you can use them in any way the CC-BY-4.0 license allows, as long as you attribute the source. Even with that attribution, we don't control what you make: we don't own your created content, we don't own the CC-BY-4.0 license, and we don't have any say over what you do with your work.

If you’re making something other than TRPG content, our Fan Content Policy might be what you need.

Are you interested in creating work based on Wizards of the Coast intellectual property (IP), including creations based on Dungeons & Dragons materials?

The Fan Content Policy covers this type of content.

What is ‘fan content’? It’s unofficial work you create using our IP, including fan art, videos, podcasts, blogs, websites, streaming content, tattoos, altars to your Cleric’s deity, etc. which is not endorsed by us. Check the details of the Fan Content Policy to see if your use would qualify.

What are the D&D Beyond Basic Rules and is it the same as SRD 5.2.1?

The D&D Beyond Basic Rules is an online resource exclusive to D&D Beyond that is intended to help players and Dungeon Masters learn how to play the game. Although you will find overlap between the D&D Beyond Basic Rules and SRD 5.2.1, only SRD 5.2.1 is being released under a Creative Commons license. The D&D Beyond Basic Rules cannot be used in content creation. If you want to create and build your own TRPG content to publish, you would use SRD 5.2.1, available under Creative Commons.

If you need clarity on the SRD, take a look at the System Reference Documents FAQ.

If you’re unsure how to use the content of the SRD in your work, or how it applies to creating content, take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions. This page will give you all the answers you need to start using the SRD when making TRPG content.

The SRD 5.1-to-5.2 Conversion Guide

You may have published TRPG content using SRD 5.1 and need help updating your content to reflect updates from the 2024 Core Rulebooks. SRD 5.2.1 is the latest version of the SRD and contains all the updates based on the 2024 Core Rulebooks.

Our game design team has written the “Converting to System Reference Document 5.2.1” guide to help you convert mechanics from SRD 5.1 to SRD 5.2.1 so that your TRPG content is compatible with the latest version of the rules.

Are you looking to create content using the 2014 rules, or a different license? The 5.1 FAQ contains all the information you need to create content according to 2014 rules.

This page contains both the downloadable version of SRD 5.1, used in tandem with the Creative Commons license, and Frequently Asked Questions about the process of sourcing and the content itself. You can use this resource to create content adhering to the D&D 2014 ruleset.

Do you want to reference official D&D books that aren’t in the SRD?

If you need to reference D&D content in your created works that aren’t covered by either SRD, there are different preferred methods depending on the context of your citation.

For in-line citations:

If in a sentence:

If in footers:

In practice, a citation might look like this:

(below the line)

Do you have questions about the way D&D’s rules work? Check out Sage Advice.

Over the years, the design team has fielded all sorts of detailed questions about the game, from mechanics to lore. These answers have been collected into a single resource called Sage Advice for you to reference at any time if you’re stumped.

To see changes and updates to published works, our Errata page can help.

Sometimes we release updates to our products or rulesets. When this happens, we provide record of it here on D&D Beyond. These are important if you want to make sure you’re using the most up-to-date versions of the resources you’re referencing while creating content. The Sage Advice & Errata page contains all fifth edition errata and any new errata will be reflected here.

If you want to create new, unofficial content like Magic Items, Spells, or Subclasses on the D&D Beyond website, our guide to homebrewing can help you get started.

D&D Beyond’s homebrew tool allows users to create private or public D&D content for their games using a pre-existing template or totally from scratch. You can keep this content shared only among players in your party, or submit it for public use on our site. Public homebrew is moderated and will be removed if it too closely resembles official content, or if it violates our community guidelines.

And finally, to stay informed about upcoming community and creator news, keep an eye on our Community Update and Changelog.

Our Community Update page is the best place to find out about recent community initiatives, upcoming news related to the resources listed on this page, and more. Our Changelog provides information regarding updates to the D&D Beyond site and any changes to errata.

We are dedicated to supporting our creator community, and will continue to update with new information when available. Thank you for being part of what makes D&D great!